


Emma and Emily

by exxtravirginoliveoilx



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Romance, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:54:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27871874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exxtravirginoliveoilx/pseuds/exxtravirginoliveoilx
Summary: The FBI secretary starts to catch feelings for SSA Prentiss.... and they are reciprocated? Hoping to make it a long fic with lots of smut, but also that good good romance and drama. FYI I have this tagged as JJ/Emily, but it is just mention and they will not actually be together in this fic.Read on wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/250079109-emma-and-emily-emily-prentiss-x-original-characterThought this up while listening to this playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4C8et973aQeF91NPDHsA9Q?si=q-9vrVmeQ8CtOr_jGpGi8gMain song inspirations are:Slow Dancing in the Dark by Joji505 by The Arctic Monkeysand Woman by Harry Stylesbut listen to the whole playlist!
Relationships: Emily Prentiss/Original Character(s), Emily Prentiss/Original Female Character(s), Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 9
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all this is really just an intro into Emma's character. I know its pretty dry as far as relationship goes, but give me a chance I promise we'll get there. I wanted to set Emma up a bit since she's an OC. Anyway let me know what you think:))  
> p.s it's hard writing characters that are older you

When I took a job for the FBI, I wasn’t planning on becoming a glorified secretary, but it had been nearly two months and I don’t think anyone knew me as more than the lady who makes coffee. They definitely didn't know my name. Well Reid did, but he has an eidetic memory, so it didn't count. I knew I wasn't an agent and I didn't get to do the sexy side of the job or kick down doors, but without someone to do the paperwork and manage the details the unit would fall apart. I love my job I do, but there’s a reason they haven’t been able to find a permanent person to fill the position. It’s exhausting and it comes with none of the respect or excitement of an agent.  
I looked up from the file in front of me to see Reid come through the doors.  
“Hey Emma.”  
“Hey Reid, new case file to look over on your desk” That was the most acknowledgement I’d get all day until the evening when Reid left again, and we said goodbye. Oh god. Prentiss had just gotten off the elevator. I picked up the receiver and tried to look busy on an important call and avoid eye contact. While all of the other agents had been neutral if not friendly Prentiss gave off the distinct impression that she did not like me. Every attempt of cordiality from my end had been met with a cold silence or a sarcastic half smile. It was best for both of us if I pretended not to see her. After she passed I spent the rest of my day staring at the computer and tried to make a dent in the hundreds of emails and case files I was supposed to organize.

I rested my head on my hand as I stared at the bathroom’s tiled floor. It had been a long day and I was ready to go home, eat mac n cheese, and catch up on some well deserved tv, but as I got up to walk out of the stall, I heard sigh come from outside. Shit, I thought I was the only one left in the office. I opened the door only to make direct eye contact with Prentiss in the mirror. Fuck, of all the people it could be of course it was her.  
“I thought I was the only one left in the office,” she said.  
“Yeah, me too,” I replied as I walked to the sink and started to wash my hands. I tried to act particularly interested in the soap and water in order to avoid any more mirror eye contact.  
“I don’t hate you, you know.”  
“Oh okay,” I had no idea how to respond to that.  
“See you tomorrow,” she said and then left the bathroom leaving me completely confused and flustered. Why did she have to be so freaking cold? What was I supposed to do with that?  
When I got home, ABBA was blasting, and I could hear laughter coming from the kitchen.  
My roommate Danny called out “Emma! You’re home! We were starting to think you had been murdered,” followed by a chorus of laughter. I know, 35 and I still have roommates. I never really had time for any romance during grad school and it was cheaper to keep living with my college friends. After we graduated, we all threw ourselves into our careers; Danny into teaching as a professor at Yale, Sam as a big-time investigative journalist, and I’m still figuring out what I want to do with my law degree. I thought I wanted to leave school and jump into a law firm and eventually crawl my way up the ladder into a position as a judge, but after eight years of living in that world and I was exhausted. Exhausted of following the rules even when they didn’t make sense, of watching innocent people go to jail, and corrupt men abusing their power. I wanted to work with people who cared about more than their career trajectory. So I joined the FBI? Not something I ever thought I would be able to say, but apparently I provide something of value to their team.  
“Hey guys, sorry I missed scrabble night, long day at work.”  
“It seems like you’ve been gone more than you’ve been here lately,” said Sam handing me a glass of wine. “There’s leftover mac n cheese in the pot.”  
“Oh thank god. That was the only thing getting me through the day,” I grabbed a bowl from the cupboard. “There’s just an endless supply of paperwork to do. It’s so hard to pull away.”  
“Hey at least you’re enjoying it,”  
“Urg,” I groan  
“Or not?”  
“I don’t know how to breach into the team. They are all so close already and they don’t see me as an equal. I saw Emily today in the bathroom and you know what she said to me? She said, ‘I don’t hate you.’ What am I supposed to do with that? Like thanks for not hating me?”  
“Bring them coffee,” suggested Danny. “It has yet to fail me.”  
“I tried that,” I replied. “Now they think that’s a part of my job description. Do they realize I have the same amount of education as them? Well except for Reid. He has the right to feel superior, but as for the rest of them we are on the same level. They warned me that it would take a few months for them to warm up to me, but really what do I need to do to prove myself?”  
“Yeah, I don’t know. This is why I work for myself. No need for all the workplace drama. I left that behind the second I graduated and never looked back.”  
“Rub it in a bit more why don’t ya Sam.”  
“Oh, shut up.” I spent the rest of the night getting destroyed in scrabble and catching up with Danny and Sam. With all of our schedules and me starting a new job it had been weeks since we’d caught up and I hadn’t realized how much I missed it. We all met freshman year of college, and it’s always a comfort to fall back into the familiar banter of Sam mocking my spelling and in return making fun of her obsession with two letter words. Danny has always been the peacemaker and the one who propels us into further laughter.  
As I lay in bed I started to think back to my encounter in the bathroom. Why had Emily been there in the first place? She definitely didn’t use the bathroom. She had looked almost sad staring at herself and gripping the edge of the sink like her life depended on it. I don’t hate you….I don’t hate you…..I don’t hate you. It was a start.


	2. Elevator Rides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some more interactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: brief mention of sexual assault, but I marked where it begins and ends.

I woke up with a new determination. I wasn’t going to let them ruin the best job I had ever had. I deserved to be there just as much as they did, and I was tired of tip toeing around trying to look busy. I was there to do a job and we didn’t have to all be friends, but they would at least respect me.   
“Hey Emma”  
“Hey Reid, new case file on your desk,” after Reid came in there was usually a 5-minute gap before Prentiss showed up. Should I say something? I couldn’t keep acting like she didn’t exist, like I didn’t notice every time she was near my desk. Maybe a simple hello? Jesus christ I was pathetic. I was so deep in thought that I hadn’t realized I was staring directly at the elevator. When the door opened, I was once again staring directly into the face of Emily Prentiss. Her eyes widened slightly but gave no insight into her thoughts. I however felt the blood rushing to my face, and I was sure I was blushing profusely. My pale skin, freckles, and red hair make me extremely susceptible to blushing, and I’ve never had a good poker face. I offered a quick smile and a meek wave before turning back to my computer and pretending to check email.   
“I got you a coffee.” I turned up to look at Emily’s hand setting down a to go cup. “Black right?”   
“Yeah,” I said glancing up to look at her face, but she was already walking away. My eyes lingered on her back. Her hair was tied up today exposing her neck. I could see every neck bone move as she turned her head down to look a case file Morgan had just handed her. Her hand reached up to rub just above where her shirt collar ended before I was quickly shocked out of my trance by the telephone ringing. It was Hotch, the team was leaving on a case and would be gone for the next three days. I knew I would spend the next three days reliving this morning over and over, stressing about every little detail, and analyzing every word Emily spoke until they had no meaning. So much for commanding respect. 

The past three days had passed uneventfully, and I had made a significant dent in the paperwork. It was quiet in the office without the team there. No one to do rouge science experiments or lend a joke after seeing a particularly bad case. Even though I was never apart of these interactions I missed the comfort of hearing them. I had spent almost eight hours straight reviewing old case files and reporting them to the bureau. It had been eight hours of one mutilated body after the next, of children that never saw their parents again, and girls who would live with trauma for the rest of their life. I was in the middle of packing my briefcase to go when then team came back up through the elevator. Hotch plopped down a case on my desk, “Sorry I know it’s late, but this really needs to be processed and the team needs to get some rest.”  
“Okay no problem. How’d the case go?”  
“Just process the file," he sighed.   
(TW sexual assault) It was a brutal case without a happy ending. Four missing girls that were repeatedly raped and kept in a barn until they died from exhaustion. No survivors. The unsub killed them all before the police could get inside and then shot himself. (END TW) It took two hours to go through all the files Hotch had left and determine whether protocol was respected. Basically, I was there to review whether the BAU was doing their job correctly. Now that I think about it, I can see why the team had been stand-offish and cold. They saw me as an enemy, an outsider there to watch their every move. It was true I was supposed to be a neutral party, but I wasn’t the enemy. I had no political agenda, no motive than to make sure justice was being lawfully enforced. I looked up at the clock It was seven, so much for catching the Great British Baking Show.   
I was walking up to the elevator when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Emily coming around the corner.   
“Hey what are you still doing here?” I said, “I thought the team had gone home.”   
“Yeah, I had some things to sort out.”   
“Tough case. I don’t know how you guys do it. I mean it’s one thing to process it afterwards, but to live through that every week. It’s impressive.”   
“Trust me it wears on you, and this one got to me for some reason. The only escape is to throw yourself into the next case and the next….” she trailed off.   
“Hey, want to get a drink? Talk it out.” I was met with silence. “Or maybe that’s inappropriate you probably don’t want to go out drinking after three days of watching girls being murdered.”  
“Actually, that is exactly what I want. I’m just surprised you asked.” The elevator doors slid open and our shoulders brushed as we both moved towards the elevator. I ended up slipping in before her and pushing the button for the first floor. The doors closed again and we descended in an awkward silence.   
“Soooo, where do you want to go?” Emily said tossing her hair behind her shoulder and exposing her collar bone. The top buttons on her shirt were undone and I couldn’t help dropping my gaze from her lips down to the top of her chest. She was so hot, and suddenly I remembered why I had spent so much energy avoiding interactions with her.   
I pulled my gaze back up to her eyes, but that was still too much, so I settled on the space between her eyebrows and said, “Let me surprise you.” And for the first time her lips curled up into the hint of a smile.


	3. 3: The Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Emma brings Emily out for drinks.

I already regretted this. We were a block away from the bar. It had been my grand idea to take Emily to a fancy gay bar that I had discovered my junior year of college. Well, it wasn’t overtly a gay bar, but everyone who went there knew the memo. The drinks were cheap enough that grad students could afford them but polished enough that it attracted successful businesswomen and lawyers. It was a win for everyone; the grad students could escape the hell and stress of school and fantasize about their successful futures while the rest of us could escape the workplace and let our hair down without worrying about who we may run into. In my eight years of visiting, I think I had seen maybe a dozen men. It was perfect, but by bringing Emily here I was letting her into my world. It would no longer be my own private escape. That’s what I get for wanting to impress her. Stupid.

“So… are we going to a bar, or are you just leading me to a back alley where you can shank me and steal my badge?” Emily teased.

“We both know that encounter would only end poorly for me,” I had no training in combat or on the ground policework, and Emily had been working high level cases for the FBI for years.

“Not if I let you win.” I glanced over to see her doing the half-smile again.

“Well, we’ll have to save that for another time because we’re here,” I said pointing to the building in front of us. The only sign that there was a bar was the quiet hum of music and laughter and a sign on the door that said _open_. The owners knew that the bar only worked because of the specific guests it attracted and they weren’t about to ruin that by advertising to anyone who happened to pass by.

“Ooooh underground,” said Emily

“Shut up,” I replied shoving her shoulder playfully. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad. We walked in to the comfortable scent of sweat, smoke, and alcohol. It wasn’t too crowed; it was a Wednesday after all, and the bar was clear except for a couple chatting at the far end of the counter.

“Well shall we?” I said walking towards the bar. “What are you drinking?”

“I’ll just start out with a beer.” I signaled to the bartender and soon she was back with two bottles.

“Cheers” I said, and we clinked our bottles before taking a heavy swig. If I was going to get through the night, I was going to have to be a little more than tipsy.

“So, a gay bar huh?”

“What?” I said innocently, “This isn’t—” She cut me off with a look.

“There isn’t a single guy here, and I can spot three couples without turning my head. Don’t get me wrong I’m flattered, but you’re not really my type.” I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. “Hey, relax, I’m kidding, So, if you were here alone who would you go for?” I blushed even harder and looked around frantically for a way out of the question, but I couldn’t stop my gaze from coming back to her. We locked eyes and she squinted before turning away and signaling to the bartender. Note to self: Emily’s eyes are brown. “Hey forget I asked. Let’s do shots?”

“Oh god,” I groaned.

“Come on it’ll keep you young, and we’re here to destress right? Can’t do that if you’re all tense.”

“Okay fuck it.” She handed me the glass.

“You ready? 3, 2, 1,” we clinked the glasses, and I threw the alcohol into the back of my throat. Emily just winced and smiled, but I couldn’t help but scrunch up my face and stick out my tongue. I took a swig of beer to wash it down. Emily burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, but that was so cute.”

I turned to smile and said, “Not all of us can be stone cold agents.”

Her smile faltered for a second and she said, “I’m sorry for how cold I’ve been.”

“Oh, hey don’t even worry about it.”

“No, I mean it,” She turned towards the bar and leaned onto her elbows to take another swig of her beer. She was still wearing a white button up from work. She was biting her lip and gazing intently at her beer, and without her looking I had a chance to indulge in her face. In the sharpness of her jawline, soft curve of her lips, and the way I could tell she was stressed by the hollowness of her cheeks. Her nose was strong which added to her appeal; everything about her was strong. Her eyebrows, her lashes, her biceps that I could see pushing against her shirt, but her eyes were the strongest. Deep dark brown and staring down at her hands. “When I first joined the bureau, I wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. Hotch actually blatantly expressed that he didn’t want me on the team. I had fought tooth and nail for the position, and he didn’t even give me a shot. He said that there must have been a mistake. I thought I had made it when I was offered the position, but then there was this man in my way still, and I had to prove my worth again. I suppose I wanted you to have to prove yourself as well.” She finally looked up from the table and over at me. 

“Another round of shots?” I asked and she smiled. It lit something up inside me that I didn’t know had been dimmed.

Emily was laughing a big laugh with her head thrown back, and the light was casting a perfect shadow across her face. I had lost track of the drinks a few drinks ago. I was starting to feel warm all over and could hear my words starting to slur together. As Emily stopped laughing her gazed lowered to meet mine. I don’t know how much time passed. We didn’t say a word as we lapped up each other’s gaze. Warmth and desire flooded by body and I dropped my gaze to her lips before raising them back to her eyes. I leaned forward, put my hand along her thigh, and whispered, “Want to destress a bit more?”


	4. The Bathroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is pure smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey this is my first time EVER writing smut, so it might be a little rough. Also sorry the chapters are so short hopefully they'll start to get longer.

Emily pushed me into the bar bathroom and locked the door behind us. Then her lips were pushing against mine, and her hips were driving me back onto the sink. Her hands landed on either side of me pinning me in place. I let out a sigh as she bit my lip and pulled, and then I was reaching up and pulling her face back in to meet mine. It was messy. We were both drunk and fueled by a complete blinding desire. I arched my back and pushed my hips into her. In return she let out a groan. “Fuck.” She pulled back and looked into my eyes. There was a hunger in them that hadn’t been there before. She lifted one had up to my cheek and pushed back a piece of my hair that had fallen into my eyes. Then she let her hand fall following the curve of my jaw all the way to my lips. I opened my mouth and took in her thumb and sucked all the whiles staring into her dark unreadable eyes. Her breathing started to get heavier, “You’re so fucking hot,” she sighed.  
Then she pulled back her hand, slammed into my mouth, and laid the full weight of her body against mine. I felt the corner of the sink driving into my back, but all I could focus on was her. I was intoxicated by the feeling of her tongue against mine, her breasts pushing against my chest, and her knee driving up in between my legs. She pulled away from my mouth and started pressing her lips against my jawline, then my neck. She yanked at my shirt until the buttons ripped apart and continued her descent onto my chest. Her tongue was teasing and quick. My breathing was ragged, and I could feel myself getting wet. She slipped my bra off exposing my nipple and sucked. I let out a groan as she drove her knee deeper in between my legs. I was throbbing in anticipation and I could feel heat that had nothing to do with the alcohol spread through my body. I wanted her bad. I looked down as she stopped sucking on my nipple and smiled up at me. It was a smile that made me equally as nervous as it did excited.  
She dropped onto her knees and kissed me along my thighs. Teasing me with anticipation until I was dripping. I was wearing a skirt, so all she had to do was reach up and pull my panties down, but she was taking her god-awful time.  
“Please I can’t take it anymore.”  
“Oh, but I want to hear you beg for it,” she said with a smirk.  
I groaned, “Please, please, I want you.” I was rewarded with her tongue. She plunged it into me and pushed in deep. My hands clenched against the countertop as a wave of pleasure flooded my body. She took her time, first moving slowly in and out drawing big circles inside me. It was torture. I pushed my hips against her and was rewarded when she moved her tongue up to my clit. She wasn’t gentle or timid. She knew what she was doing. She pulled it into her mouth and rubbed in circles with her tongue. The pleasure was so great that I couldn’t help but squeeze her head with my legs and let out a cry. She was merciless and didn’t stop until I was panting and overcome with wave after wave of pleasure. After I had let out my last cry, she kissed me one last time and sent one last seizure through my body. Then she rose to her feet and whispered, “You taste good.” She slipped her tongue in between my lips and I could taste the salty aftertaste of my cum. Someone knocked on the door, she pulled back and whispered in my ear, “You owe me one.”  
Before I knew what was happening, she was walking out the door and I was left sweaty and panting alone in the bathroom.


	5. 5: the office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma repays her debt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been MIA for a bit, I've been a lot more active on my tik tok account (@hoeforemilyprentiss) and between making edits and school I haven't had time to write. Speaking of edits, I made a trailer for this fic here's the link: https://www.tiktok.com/@hoeforemilyprentiss/video/6905970214953962757?lang=en  
> also another one that's a bit more happy: https://www.tiktok.com/@hoeforemilyprentiss/video/6906246968914332933?lang=en

I woke up with a terrible headache; it felt like my heart was beating directly behind my eyeballs. I rolled over and covered my head with my pillow as the alarm continued to blare against my dresser. The hangover was so bad that I didn’t want to get out of bed let alone go to work. Not to mention I had no idea where I stood with Emily anymore. Jesus this was going to be a shit show.   
“Rise and shine asshole, can you not hear your own alarm? It’s been blaring for 20 minutes.”   
“Love you too Danny, and yes I can hear it I just haven’t gotten to turning it off yet.”  
“Well, I’ll do us all a favor and some take action,” he said as he walked over to my dresser and silenced my phone. “Ah, peace and quiet. You were out late last night. Anything you want to tell me?” I lifted one eye off the pillow and attempted to give him a menacing glare.   
“Nope, nothing I can think of.”   
“Well when you think of it….or her, let me know,” he said running out the door as I launched a pillow at his back. I stared at the ceiling. I really had to get moving, showing up to work hungover was bad enough I wasn’t going to be late as well. I took an ice-cold shower to try and shake out some of the grogginess, but I needed coffee. Unfortunately, my alarm stunt had put me way behind schedule and I barely had time to grab a granola bar and run out the door.   
I managed to get to the office on time and just as I was settling in to go over the cases that had come in overnight Reid walked off the elevator. It was later than usual; after long cases Hotch usually gave them the morning off, but no one ever used it. At most they would sleep in an extra hour which is what it looked like everyone (besides Hotch who seemed to always be here, and I had yet to beat him to work) did today because it was already 9 o’clock.   
“Morning Reid,” I said trying to sound bright and awake.  
“Hey Emma, late night last night?” He asked.   
“Oh, just a little,” I spluttered. How did he know? “How did you know?”  
“I’m a profiler, remember? You have bags under your eyes, more so than usual, you smell like alcohol, and I said good morning twice, but you didn’t hear me.”   
“Oh shit,” I grimaced. “Is it really that obvious.”  
“Probably not, just to me.” He walked away. God Hotch was going to think she was becoming an alcoholic. It was a Thursday. Who shows up hungover on a Thursday? I also still had Emily to worry about. If Reid had just come in and she stuck to her pattern I had less than five minutes to figure out a proper greeting. Hey? Was that too casual? What if she completely ignored me? Would we just pretend last night never happened? Maybe for her it was just a fluke. She was drunk, horny, and I happened to be there.  
“Hey, thought you might need this,” said a soft voice. My head shot up. There she was, talking to me. She gave me a smile and set down a large to go coffee cup. “I know you always drink it black, but I thought you might need some sugar as well today, let me know what you think.”   
“Oh my gosh, thank you so much. You have no idea how much I needed this.” I braved a quick glance up at met her eyes. They were crinkled from her smile.   
“No problem last night was fun,” her eyes trailed downwards towards my lips before rising back up to meet my eyes.   
Then before I could think of an intelligent response she turned and walked away to meet with Morgan. To stop myself from staring I took a sip of the coffee she had left on my desk. Holy shit it was good. I immediately felt the caffeine flood through my body and the grogginess truly start to dissipate. I turned the cup around. Written on the opposite side was a note from the barista, “Double shot vanilla latte.” And below that written in red ink was, “I hope you handle these shots better than the ones last night.” I felt a blush creeping up my neck, and I couldn’t help but grin like an idiot. I glanced up and made eye contact with Emily across the room. She was still talking with Morgan, but she was smirking and looking over his shoulder at me.   
The workload was heavy today, and I didn’t have time to think about Emily or anything but the case in front of me. I didn’t even realize what time it was until Reid said, “Bye Emma,” on his way out the door. I was so close to finishing all the cases Hotch had wanted me to review. If I just stay an extra hour…..I turned back to the computer and before I knew it I was completely engrossed back in horrific murders and tortures. Suddenly I felt a hand touch the back of my neck. I jumped out of my chair and spun around. It was Emily and she was doubled over laughing.   
“Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me,” I said still breathing hard from the shot of adrenaline that had coursed through my body.   
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that worked,” she choked out between laughs. “You really can’t hear anything when you’re working. I said your name like twice.”   
“I just get in the zone I guess,” I shrugged sheepishly.   
“It’s cute,” she said and reached over to brush a hair out of my face. Then she took a step forward and I was suddenly aware of how close we were. Automatically I took a step back into the desk and Emily used it as an opportunity to pin me against it. I had nowhere to go. “If I remember right you owe me something,” she whispered in my ear. It was suddenly very hard to breathe normally. “Everyone else left an hour ago.”   
“Even Hotch?”   
“Mmmhmm,” she breathed against my ear. She drove her knee in between my knees. “Now stop talking and start fucking me.” I couldn’t move. I hadn’t been this nervous with someone since I was a teenager. Emily leaned back and looked into my eyes, and for the first time I saw a hint of uncertainty. Finally, my body started to respond to the signals from my brain, and I leaned forward to brush my lips against hers. I was rewarded with her lips pushing hard into mine. Slowly I started to gain confidence and take control. I pushed off of the desk and in one movement switched our positions so that she was trapped against the desk and I was leaning over her. It only worked because she wasn’t expecting it and as she landed against the desk, she let out a gasp. I started to run my hands along her torso and push into her hips with mine. Then I pulled my mouth away and began to kiss her along her neck. I unbuttoned her top button and bit her right above her heart. She let out a gasp and her breathing intensified. I dropped to my knees and began to unbutton her pants.  
“Good girl,” she murmured and ran her hands through my hair. I looked up and bit my lip nervously. She gave me a reassuring smile and I pulled off her trousers. She was wearing a beautiful black mesh thong, and I started rubbing her through her underwear. Her breath hitched and she reached down to lift my chin up to meet her gaze. Her eyes were dark. Filled with a sudden confidence, I grabbed the strings of her underwear and ripped them off. Emily smiled showing all of her teeth, and lightly pushed the back of my head. I submitted easily and leaned in to lick her. She was dripping wet. I stuck my tongue inside her and I felt her hand clench on the back of my head. I started pumping my tongue in and out while one hand rubbed her clit and the other grabbed her ass. “Yes,” she moaned. “Faster.” I obliged. Her hand was pulling my hair so hard that it painful, and it sent a jolt of excitement through my body. She could do anything she wanted to me. She could spit on me or kick me in the face, and I couldn’t do anything to stop her. Her legs pushed in on either side of my head and I knew she was close. I slowed down letting my tongue sit inside her and flick up and down. I looked up at her and saw her throw her head back. “Oh god,” she gasped, and her thighs clenched around my head. I pushed in one last time before pulling out. My face was wet from her discharge, and my lips tasted salty when I licked them. I rested my cheek against her thigh, and we sat there for a while just breathing.   
“Come here,” she said after a few minutes. I stood up and studied her shoulder. Eye contact had suddenly become impossible. “Look at me,” she demanded. I did, however reluctantly. She studied my face and then reached her hand out and brushed my nose. “You did perfectly.” Then she pulled me against her chest, and I relaxed into her arms. She kissed my neck before whispering, “I should probably pull my pants up before a janitor or Hotch comes up.”  
“Oh yeah,” I laughed. I stood up and watched as Emily clothed herself again. I liked seeing her tousled, in a position she couldn’t control. It seemed vulnerable somehow. Like I wasn’t supposed to see her without the polish of her tailored pants and suit jacket. I had done that to her. I had made her loose her shell. She looked up as she fussed around trying to put on her shoes.   
“Want to go get dinner?”   
“Right now?”  
“Yeah, why not?”  
“Hell, why not.”


	6. Pasta Rossi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> date & Emma goes to Emily's apartment for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also wrote a version of this that was a lot sexier (shit went down in the restaurant), so if you want me to publish that as a separate one shot (or extra chapter) leave this chapter kudos. I'll post it if I get more than 5 requests.

I shifted nervously back and forth on my feet. We had decided to go home and change before meeting at the restaurant, so I was standing alone in the dark outside a fancy Italian restaurant (apparently Rossi had recommended it).  
“Did you tell them?” I had asked. Emily looked back at me.  
“You realize they can’t know right?” she said.  
“Yeah no, I know. That’s why I was surprised.”  
It was five minutes past when they had agreed to meet, and I had been waiting for ten. Not that I was counting. Then I looked over my shoulder and saw her. It had been worth the wait. Emily was striding towards me in skintight, knee length, red dress. It hugged her curves perfectly and accentuated her dark eyes and red tinted lips. She smirked and I quickly looked away. I was wearing a simple black slip dress and suddenly I was very self-conscious. When she reached me, she took my cheek in her hand and pulled my face up, so I was forced to look at her face.  
“You look beautiful.”  
“So do you,” I choked out. At this she chuckled and grabbed my hand.  
“Come on, let’s get some pasta.”  
The restaurant was softly lit by strings of fairy lights and crystalline overhead chandeliers. It smelled of basil, oregano, and fresh baked bread. Classic Italian music moved through the air from an unplaceable source. The hostess led us to the table in the back of the room. It was private, but not dingy or claustrophobic.  
“Grazie,” Emily smiled at the hostess as she laid down a wine menu.  
“Prego,” she replied and walked away.  
“Do you know Italian?” I asked.  
“A little bit. I moved around a lot as a kid.”  
“I mean I moved around too, but I don't know Italian.”  
“Yeah, I suppose my moving was a bit different than the average kids. My mom was a U.S. ambassador. We lived all over Europe and the Middle East, but most notably France, Italy, and Ukraine. I speak six languages.”  
“I’m starting to realize that I don’t know you at all.”  
“You know enough.”  
“Say something to me in Italian.”  
“Ho voglia di te,” she said never breaking eye contact. I didn’t know what it meant, but I felt my face flush and warmth spread down my body.  
“Can I get you something to order?” I glanced over at the waiter that had appeared next to our table. I had almost forgotten we were here to eat. From there Emily took over. I was grateful. I always got flustered ordering and I couldn’t read the menu which added another layer of stress. I also liked watching her speak. She had a confidence to her movements that I envied. It made her graceful.  
The waiter returned with two glasses and a bottle of red wine. I knew nothing about wines and couldn’t tell the difference between a $10 bottle at the grocery store and a $50 glass, but I trusted it was of quality. Emily poured both of our glasses and took a sip. The wine stained her lips.  
“Tell me about yourself.”  
“Oh, I don’t know there’s not much to tell.”  
“Don’t be boring,” My brain raced trying to find something interesting and clever to say. Finding nothing I deflected with a question.  
“What’s your favorite book?” I’d found in my minimal dating experience that how a person answered this question said a lot for our compatibility. If they said War and Peace it was obvious that they were just saying the hardest book they’d ever read and trying to sound impressive. If they said some obscure book that I’d never heard of it was either another attempt at sounding impressive or a really interesting conversation starter. I knew for sure they were being honest if they answered a childhood classic, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, etc. At the end of the day we all just really want the comfort of nostalgia. Then there is the worst answer possible; “I don’t have a favorite book. I don’t really read.” Instant fucking turnoff.  
“I don’t really have time to read —”  
“Jesus Christ,” I blurted out without thinking.  
Emily smirked, “What I was going to say was... is that I think a favorite would have to be A Clockwork Orange.”  
“Kind of a strange choice for an FBI agent.”  
“I don’t think so,” she paused. “I mean the book is really an exploration of good and evil, right and wrong. It exposes the gray area between what society accepts and who we really are. If I’ve learned anything from working at the bureau for six year it's that gray area is the only truth. At the end of the day behind the darkest crime is a person. Whether we like it or not the man holding the gun represents just as much of humanity as the one with a bullet in their head. There are facts and then there is what we choose to believe as true…shit I’m probably not making any sense.”  
“No, I think I get it,” I replied. “The grey part of life is the interesting part. For me it’s what makes life worth living.”  
“Well, I don’t know if I would go that far, we all need some structure of what is right. Otherwise, our whole belief system would crumble into utter chaos.” At that moment the waiter came back with two plates of steaming pasta. My mouth watered; I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I was staring at a plate of creamy red penne.  
“I don’t know about right and wrong, but I do know that this pasta looks fucking amazing.”  
Emily smiled, “I’m glad you like my choice.”  
The night passed quickly. I wanted to shove the whole plate of pasta down my throat, but my nerves wouldn’t let me, so I nibbled it down slowly in between conversation. Emily kept refiling our wine glasses from the bottle, and the waiter seemed to know exactly when the bottle was empty. Soon we fell into a rhythm of conversation. I don’t even remember what we talked about, but I do remember the feeling. Everything felt warm and bubbly. I kept raising my hand to cool the flush of my cheeks and then lowering them to the hard table to try to remind myself of reality, but I was too far gone. Emily swept me up in the pull of her smile and quick wit and wouldn’t let me down. By the time we left the restaurant it was 11 o’clock and the streets were cold. Emily and I were walking side by side in silence. The silence that comes after good company and a full stomach. A content silence. I leaned into her side partly for warmth, but mostly because I wanted the only thing to between us to be our coats. I felt her hand grab mine then unexpectedly she pulled me to the left down an alley. She pushed me against the side of a building and leaned her face down to kiss me but hovered a few inches from my nose. We were close enough that I could see her throat move when she swallowed. The air was cold enough that her breath condensed and caused a wave of steam to hit my eyelashes. We stood there each of us waiting for the other to move. It was like she was challenging me, seeing how long she could make me wait, or maybe testing if I was strong enough to move first, or maybe she was just as paralyzed as I was. I closed my eyes and reached my mouth up to meet hers. It was gentle; I barely grazed her lips, and we paused again. This time much closer, so close that the air that left her mouth was immediately taken in my mine. Then she crashed into me in full force. Her hips pushed back against the wall just as mine pushed forward trying to eliminate the space where my body stopped and hers began. She bit my bottom lip and pulled drawing blood. I know this because I saw it wet her lips and when she kissed me again, I could taste copper on my tongue. We kissed until our mouths were bruised and relented into each other’s arms. We stood there embracing and panting into the night. When we pulled apart the top of Emily’s head was covered in white snow. I hadn't realized it was snowing.  
“Want to come back to my place?” Emily asked.  
“So much so.”

It was dark in Emily’s apartment hallway and shabbier than I had expected. All the doors were red and if I reached out my arms, I could touch either side of the hallway. Emily was fiddling with her key and I was staring at my shoes. Finally, she got the key to work and opened the door into her loft. Immediately a soft alarm went off and Emily unlocked a keypad, careful to hide the number from me. I knew she was just being vigilant, but it still stung. I was in her apartment already and about to sleep in her bed if I wanted to kill her, I had ample opportunities.  
“Tea?” she suggested.  
“I’m really tired,” I said as way of reply.  
She laughed, “Okay sleepyhead, follow me.” I followed her down the hallway to the second door on the right. It opened up into her bedroom. “Okay let’s see if we can find you something to sleep in,” she said walking over to the closet. I stood watching her. Nothing quite felt real and I was starting to sway on my feet. I did not handle sleep deprivation well and the wine wasn’t helping. I felt something brush my leg and let out a quiet shriek.  
“That’s Sergio. He doesn’t bite.” I looked down to see that my attacker was a small black cat. I kneeled down to pet him, but he quickly dashed under the bed. “But he’s slow to warm to strangers. Give him a few days and you two will be the best of friends.” I distantly wondered if this meant Emily meant to keep me around, but I was too tired to continue the thought, or put it into words. “Here you go.” Emily tossed me a silk pajama set. I moved towards the bed and sat down with every intention of changing, but the bed was so comfortable, and I was so tired. 

I woke up the next morning still wearing the black dress from the night before. It took me a moment to recount the events that had led me to where I was. _Where was I? _I took account of my surroundings. I was underneath a huge fluffy comforter, so thick I could barely see over it. I wasn’t wearing shoes, but I didn’t remember taking them off. My neck was cramped, probably from passing out tipsy and too tired to think. The sun was shining rather abrasively through a light billowy curtain and it appeared to be around 9 o’clock. Shit. The only factor missing was Emily. _Had she left for the bureau without me? _That seemed too cruel, even if she had decided to start hating me again. Even if she did hate me I doubted that she would leave me alone in her apartment. I felt a light pressure on my thighs and looked up to see that Sergio had jumped up to sit on my lap. “Morning Sergio,” I croaked, but made no move to pet him. After last night I figured it was best to play it cool.  
“And morning to you,” said a voice from the doorway. I would have jumped if Sergio hadn’t been curled up on top of me. Emily stood in the doorway leaning against the frame.  
“Don’t we have to be at work? What time is it?”  
“Don’t worry, Hotch called in early and told us to take a day off. Surprise vacation he called it.”  
“That doesn’t seem like something Hotch or the bureau would ever do,” I responded, incredulous.  
“Well, it appears miracles do happen because you were not in any shape to go to work today.” I was starting to get the suspicion that Emily had more to do with this ‘surprise vacation’ than Hotch. “You slept in until 10 tsk, tsk.”  
“Oh, shut up. You would’ve too if you were in some mystery woman’s bed without an alarm.”  
“Oooh, mystery woman, you’ll have to introduce me to her.”  
“Well, if you ever decide to get out of bed, I made coffee.”  
“If you haven’t noticed your cat has made a home on top of my legs, so I am incapable of movement.”  
“Oh no, we couldn’t disturb Sergio.” Emily pushed off the doorframe and disappeared down the hall. While she was gone, I took the opportunity to check my phone messages.  
Danny: 3 missed calls  
_Where are you?  
Starting to get nervous.  
Please call me back.  
I’m assuming the date went well, but also fearing the worse.  
IF YOU DO NOT SAY SOMETHING BY 10 I’M CALLING 911. _  
It was 10:05.  
I frantically wrote back: _I’m okay! Do not call police __  
Sam: _you better not be dead. _  
To her I just sent: k.  
Emily returned with two steaming mugs and walked over towards the bed. She set one down on the dresser to the right of my head and said, “There you go. No need to even move a muscle.”  
“Thank you,” I smiled sweetly up at her. She gave in and leaned down to kiss me briefly before climbing over onto the bed next to me.  
“No making out before coffee.”  
“What! That’s the lamest rule ever,” I complained.  
“Lamest rule ever,” Emily mocked back. She leaned in to kiss my neck. “How does toast for breakfast sound?”  
“It sounds perfect.”_________


	7. First Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I did get a few requests to release the extra chapter, so that is what will be coming out next. I just haven't had time to finish it, but for now here's this.

Turns out that Emily isn’t a chef. Somehow the toast came out with more coal than bread, but the excessive butter and cinnamon managed to mask most of the flavor. I didn’t mind so much; I had always been the kid to light my marshmallows on fire out of impatience. We spent the whole morning lounging around her house. I managed to win Sergio over with some cat treats, beat Emily in banana grams (twice), and drank upwards of three cups of coffee. Before I knew it, it was four o’clock, and the sun was setting. I was still jacked from the coffee and didn’t want to say goodbye.  
“Want to come over to my place?” I asked. “You could meet my roommates. I could beat you in scrabble for a change.”   
“Maybe next time,” Emily said, but with a question mark on the end to soften the blow. It didn’t. It felt as though a door had been slammed in my face. I hadn’t even considered that she might say no. I had been caught up in the moment.   
“Oh, okay. I’ll just grab my stuff. I should be getting back. Wouldn’t want the FBI to start investigating my disappearance.” It was a weak attempt at a joke. I was having a very hard time not expressing my disappointment. Damn profilers. I could see the pity on Emily’s face, and it was making the whole situation infinitely worse.   
“We should do this again,” she said as I reached for the door handle. I wished we didn’t have to say anything. That it was just implied that we would be spending every night with each other.  
“Yeah…we should.” I hurried out the door. Once I was in the hallway, I took a moment to lean against the door before making the walk down the flight of stairs. 

The next day Hotch called the whole team in on an emergency case. I woke up at six a.m. to the harsh ring of my phone buzzing on the table. I almost declined his call, but luckily in my flailing I managed to click the green accept button.   
“Hello,” I croaked.   
“Emma? This is Hotch.” I immediately shot straight up in bed, suddenly fueled by a rush of adrenaline.   
“Yes sir, sorry I just woke up.”   
“I’m sorry to disturb you on the weekend, but we had a case called in early this morning. The rest of the team is already here.”  
“Shit,” I mumbled.  
“It’s not your fault. I wouldn’t even be calling you, but SSA JJ has fallen ill, and you’re the best option for a replacement. We leave in 30. Can you make it?”   
“Um yes sir. I’ll be there.”  
“Great. See you soon.” Then he hung up.   
Shit. Shit. Shit. It took thirty minutes just to drive to Quantico. Thankfully I had been briefed that there was a slight chance of this happening and had been advised to have an overnight bag on standby. It didn’t have much in it, but it would have to work.   
Thirty-two minutes later I whipped my car into the parking lot outside of the jet runway. I texted Hotch. Be there in 5. When security saw my badge, they rushed me through within a minute. It’s not like there was a line anyway. I ran out to the jet my bag flopping along my side. When I stumbled up the stairs into the common room, everyone looked up.   
“Nice outfit Hart,” laughed Morgan. I think it was the first time someone had called me by my last name. I was so taken aback that it took me a second to respond.  
“Well, I didn’t have much time to prepare.” I was wearing the clothes I had slept in which unfortunately was a matching set of flannel pajamas decorated in Thomas the Train. Danny had gotten them for me last year. It was an inside joke. Which was no longer very inside. I saw Emily trying to contain a laugh before glancing back down at her case file.   
“Let’s go over the profile now that Hart is here,” Hotch said handing me a case file. He gave me a one over. “I hope you brought a change of clothes.”   
“Yes sir.” I could feel myself turning red.   
“Okay now that we’ve got Emma’s fabulous outfit out of the way,” Garcia’s voice crackled through a laptop screen. “We’ve got three homicides from poison in Dallas. Latest victim is Joseph Fielding. He is a high-level executive, white collar, married, white. He was killed in his hotel room. No sign of forced entry.”  
“What was used as a poison?” asked Reid.   
“We’re still waiting on the tocology report.”  
“Even from the first victims?” asked Emily.   
“There has been a great deal of money put into trying to pass these murders off as suicides or freak accidents,” responded Garcia.  
“By who?”  
“Their lawyers. It was a fight for us to be cleared and it’s a miracle they were even able to connect the victims considering they’ve been passed off as accidents to the public,” Garcia sighed. “Be careful. There’s a lot of powerful people who would rather this case disappear.”   
“Don’t worry about it,” reassured Hotch. “You guys focus on solving this case. I’ll deal with the politics. Don’t let anyone interfere with your job. We approach this how we would any other case. Reid and Morgan, I want you to go to the crime scene. Talk to the workers at the hotel see if they saw anything. People probably know more than they’re letting on. Emily head to the police station and start getting set up. I’ll also need you to help brief Hart on procedures. Hart come to the back until we land, so I can give you a rundown on expectations. Everyone else try to get some rest before we land.” I followed Hotch to the back of the jet where there were two cushioned chairs facing each other.   
“Thank you for coming of such short notice. I know this probably wasn’t a part of your weekend plans.” I just nodded. My head was still reeling from an overload of information, and I didn’t trust myself to form a coherent answer. “Obviously, you have no formal police training. Let me be clear, you are not here to help solve the case. You will not carry a gun, go into the field, or even leave the police station unless you are traveling to the hotel.” I nodded again. “I brought you along because you understand the internal workings of the BAU. You’ve read enough of JJ’s press reports to know how to speak and communicate with the public. However, I will brief you on strategy before any press release. Otherwise, your answer is ‘no comment.’ As soon as we land you are the main director of communication between Quantico and the ground, the public and the BAU, and the local police and the team. Now get some rest with the rest of the team.” He gave me a weak smile. “Welcome to the BAU.”   
I walked back down the aisle and plopped into the seat next to Emily. Despite how we left things last night, she was still the person I felt the most comfortable around. I turned to say hello, but I realized she was asleep, and before I knew it I was too.


	8. tired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: hey sorry for the long break guys. I just haven't really been inspired to write about cm the past month. Probably because I read ATYD and it completely destroyed me, so I'm back into my HP phase. ANYWAY this case is roughly based around the Megan Kane episode "Pleasure is my Business," but I changed a bunch of details. Mention of stuff to do with the case, but nothing graphic at all.

“Asleep on the job, Hart?”   
My head jolted up from the table in front of me and for a moment I didn’t know where I was. The florescent lights were blinding, and drool had crusted at the corners of my lips. I was still holding the half empty coffee cup I had started drinking. Emily was looking down at me from beside the corkboard covered in pictures of dead executives.   
“Fuck. How long was I out?” I croaked.   
“Oh, not long an hour or so. I thought you might need some rest, and there wasn’t much for you to be doing right now anyway.”   
I knew that was a lie, there was always something to be doing, but I said thanks anyway. Just then Morgan and Reid came walking through the door. Morgan was carrying an order of coffees and Reid had two bags of Chinese takeout.  
“Look who’s awake,” Morgan teased. “We’ve brought provisions.” I scrunched my face up in return.   
It was weird seeing them joking and laughing while the bodies of dead men loomed behind them, but I supposed they had to make it through the days somehow. I however, was not at that level of detachment yet, and the idea of eating Chinese right then made me want to throw up the little breakfast left in my stomach   
“I’m going to the bathroom,” I mumbled. No one seemed to hear me, but as I walked away, I felt eyes on the back of my head. I glanced back in time to see Emily looking away.   
I stared at my reflection in the harsh light of the downtown New York police station bathroom. I had dark circles under my eyes, and with my pale skin it looked like I had a fading black eye. My hair was drawn back in a matted ponytail, but red strands had fallen out and now stuck straight out in a frizzy mess. In summary I looked like hell. We had landed in New York only 36 hours before, but I was already losing track of time.   
The case had hit a standstill. All of our leads had fallen short and until there was another kill the team was stuck. It didn’t help that we had lawyers breathing down our necks at every turn, and Hotch was using all of his energy to keep them at bay. It was great for the rest of us, but it meant that he wasn’t much help as a profiler.   
I pressed my hands against the cool counter and let out a sigh. I felt like I could finally breath. I hadn’t been alone for more than a minute in over a day, and it was taking its toll. At the end of the day, I was a thinker not a talker, but JJ’s job seemed to consist of nothing but talking. Someone always wanted an update on the case or needed me to talk down the police chief or a diversion to keep the media away. I just needed a second to breath, alone, in the bathroom. Just then the door opened, and Emily walked in. I straightened up and pretended to dry my hands on a paper towel.   
“How are you doing?” she asked.  
“Fine. Should probably get back out there,” I replied and slipped out the door before she could respond. I could be cold too if I wanted to. It was immature, but I was tired, and I didn’t care. I walked into the conference room, and Reid yelled, “It’s a woman!”   
“Yes, Reid, astute observation,” I said dryly, and Morgan laughed.  
“No, no, the unsub, that’s what we’ve been missing. The unsub is a woman. It’s so obvious now that I think about it,” he continued to trail on and raced off to bounce the idea off Hotch.   
I collapsed into the nearest chair and took a swig of cold coffee. I was too tired to even process how bitter and watery it was. Just then I felt my phone buzz. It was Hotch.   
“Hey where are you? We need to host a press conference right now, and I need to brief you. Also, I need you to update the police chief on the case. Morgan will brief you.” Hotch hung up and without prompting Morgan began briefing her on their new leads.   
The latest profile was a high-end prostitute murdering her clients, go figure. I was back to the craziness. It was stressful and I was dead on my feet, but I couldn’t deny within the chaos there was an underlying coursing of adrenaline, and it was addicting. 

*****  
Later that night the New York Police arrested Megan Kane, a call girl with severe daddy issues and the goal of taking down the institution. It was hard not to sympathize with her despite the fact that she killed five men.  
It was 11:00 p.m. when they closed the case, and 11:30 p.m. when I gave the last report to the media. Ever one was exhausted physically and emotionally, so Hotch called Strauss and arranged our flight back for the next morning. The weather was also taking a turn for the worse. Snow had been falling all day, but now it was picking up, and the weathermen said it was going to just get worse throughout the night.   
We all walked in a daze to our hotel and barely spoke except for room designations.   
“Everyone usual arrangements. Except Emily you’ll room with Emma since JJ’s not here.” Somewhere deep in the fog of my brain I noted that JJ and Emily usually room together. “See you tomorrow morning 11:00 sharp. Sleep in you deserve it,” and with that we all disappeared to our rooms. I fell asleep fully clothed in the middle of the queen bed. I didn’t even have time to stress about sharing a bed with Emily. I was just so very tired. 

I woke up shaking. My heart was racing, and I felt nauseous. Hotch was dead. Reid was dead. Morgan was dead. And Emily… She had killed them all. The bed sheets were wrapped in a tangle around my legs trapping me in the bed. I felt my breathing getting ragged and crawled off the bed to the cold linoleum floor. I lay there feeling the cold against my back.   
“Emma?” I heard someone whisper. Then I felt a cool hand touch my calf. “Sorry I can’t see anything. Where are you?”   
“Here,” I breathed. I was slowly sobering up and coming back into reality. It was still dark out. It must be the middle of the night. The familiar shape of Emily’s body appeared next to me.   
“It was just a dream,” she said. “just a dream.”  
I didn’t respond because I could tell that it would come out a sob, so I settled for silently crying with shaky breath. Emily wrapped her arm across my chest and lay with her head against my shoulder and her leg in-between mine. The pressure of another body against mine was comforting and I felt like a kid again.   
“Let me tell you a story,” she said. “There used to be a group of kids who lived out of a van and solved mysteries with their dog. They didn’t necessarily want to fight crime, but everywhere they went people needed their help…”  
I laughed. “Is this just the plot of Scooby Doo?”   
“I thought you were too out of it to notice,” she laughed. “I’m not very creative.”  
“No, I like it. Keep going.”   
“Okay where were we… yes one day they stopped in a town….”   
I didn’t remember falling asleep, but I woke up hours later to sunlight streaming in through the window curtains. Emily was wrapped around my torso and breathing lightly against my shoulder. My back was cramping from sleeping on the hard ground, but I couldn’t make myself move. I didn’t want to risk disturbing Emily. I’d never seen her look so relaxed or unguarded. It was almost disturbing how harsh the contrast was from her normal face. She still had stress lines across her forehead and between her eyebrows, but they were softer. Her mouth was slightly open and every few seconds her eyelashes would twitch. It must have been quite early still because the hotel was silent except for the quiet hum of the heater. There was no way I could fall back asleep, so I just lay looking at Emily. It figured it might be the only time I could so openly.   
I couldn’t believe that I’d had a nightmare so bad that Emily had to cuddle with me. I hadn’t even been in the field. I loved the technical parts of my job, trying to find solutions to impossible problems, writing reports, and helping Garcia, but I wasn’t a profiler. I couldn’t be on the ground looking for a serial killer and putting myself into the head of a killer. I couldn’t separate my life from the case.  
My arm was in an awkward position and had fallen asleep. I tried to discreetly shake it out, but it woke Emily up. Her eyes fluttered open and for a moment she just looked at me. It felt sad, but maybe I was just imagining things. Then she quickly pushed herself off the ground and stood up. I felt exposed and vulnerable without her blanketed over me.   
“Do you need to use the bathroom?” she asked.   
“No go ahead.”   
She walked over to the bathroom and closed the door. A few moments later I heard water running from the shower. I stayed on the floor and stared at the ceiling for a second before standing up and flopping back into the bed. The FBI knew how to book a good hotel room. The bed was better than anything I had been able to afford, and I quickly dozed off again, cozy beneath the blankets.   
I was awoken for the third time to Emily gently shaking my shoulder.   
“Hey sleepy it’s 10:00. I got you coffee and a donut.” Emily was already dressed in a smart looking black pantsuit. I took the coffee from her outstretched hand and sipped it while I started to get dressed. I didn’t know where we stood, and Emily wasn’t offering up any hints, so I got dressed in silence. Thirty minutes later we were walking downstairs to meet Hotch and the rest of the team; everyone knew that 11:00 really meant 10:30.   
Morgan yawned as we walked up, “How’d you two sleep,” he said with a wink. Emily rolled her eyes.  
“Perfectly fine, thank you.”   
“Well, that’s everyone. Meet at the plane in 30,” ordered Hotch. I yawned and followed everyone out to the vans. I needed a damn vacation.


End file.
